Milton council deadlocks on speed limit reductions

A proposal to change the speed limits in Milton’s alleyways and connector streets failed July 3 after council deadlocked on a vote.

The proposal, written by Mayor John Collier, was to reduce the speed limit from 25 mph to 15 mph on streets such as Coulter Street, Tilney Street, Walnut Street, in Cannery Village and Broad Street, among others. 

Collier said part of the reason for the proposed change was to make it easier for police to enforce the speed limits. For instance, he said, one block of Reed Street has a 15 mph speed limit, while another has a 25 mph speed limit. Collier said similar issues exist on Coulter Street and Broad Street. A roadway like Broad Street, he said, has parking on both sides, making the street very narrow when cars are parked. A street like B Street, Collier said, is a narrow alleyway that is not wide enough for two cars to pass each other. 

“Let’s be consistent throughout the length of the street,” he said. “All these streets have conditions that don’t allow people to go 25. I think it's time.”

Collier said he also talked to people on those streets who wanted to see changes to make the streets safer. Councilwoman Randi Meredith sought to add to the list, including Hazzard Lane, Manship Street, Poplar Street and Sand Street, as those streets are very narrow, and children live and travel along those roads.

Councilwoman Lee Revis-Plank led the charge against the proposal, saying Delaware code states that residential speed limits should be 25 mph, and while local authorities can change speed limits, officials only can do so after an engineering study and traffic investigation, which Milton has not done. 

“This is a request by individuals and a small group of very vocal people. It’s not necessarily the request of the entire town. Reading this, it seems to be against the law without the study,” she said.

Town Solicitor Seth Thompson said the town charter gives council the authority to regulate streets, and lowering the speed limits is within that. 

Meredith then moved to approve the measure. Collier, Meredith and Councilman Scotty Edler moved to approve, while Revis-Plank, Councilman Larry Savage and Councilman Fred Harvey voted no. Savage and Harvey both said they voted no because they want to see a study done, while Edler said he voted yes because it eliminates having two speed limits on the same street. Councilwoman Annette Babich was not present at the meeting, so the vote ended in a 3-3 tie and died. 

However, the ordinance could be brought back at another meeting. A similar impasse happened in April on the issue of all-way stops at the intersections of Chestnut/Wharton/Atlantic streets and Federal/Mulberry/Wharton streets, where council was deadlocked and there was no tie-breaking vote. As a compromise, the all-way stop plan was scrapped and council agreed to move forward with planned crosswalk improvements at those intersections.